Objective:

to evaluate maternal intention to breastfeed, duration of breastfeeding up to 24 months-of-age and reasons for weaning in the first year of life.

Methods:

this was a cohort study conducted in Pelotas, RS, Brazil, with participants from the Multi-Center Body Composition Study; a life table was used to analyze duration of breastfeeding.

Results:

of the 1377 mothers screened, 74.3% reported intending to exclusively breastfeed up until 6 months, while 91.1% intended to prolong breastfeeding until at least 12 months; 58.0% of children were breastfed up to at least 6 months; median breastfeeding duration was 10.8 months (IQR: 5.8 - 23.0); the main reasons reported for weaning were insufficient breast milk (57.3%), return to work/school (45.5%), and unexplained refusal by the baby (40.1%).

Conclusion:

the results show that despite the intention to breastfeed, there are still structural and social barriers that interfere with successful breastfeeding, especially those related to working mothers.

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